Biology 3-2h 2021-2022 A. Bossant & S.
Gielen
CHAPTER 1: HOMEOSTASIS – OUR INTERNAL BALANCE
Daarom
Hebben wij
Die handen
En die armen
Om als het
Koud wordt
Rond het hart
Elkaar te
Verwarmen
-Toon Hermans-
Table of content
1. Levels of Organisation ......................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Overview of the levels ...................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Organ systems .................................................................................................................................................. 2
2. Homeostasis ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Negative reinforcement ................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Stimulus en reaction......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2.1 Internal of External ............................................................................................................................... 6
2.2.2 Chemical or Physical ............................................................................................................................. 6
2.2.3 Sensory Threshold .................................................................................................................................. 7
2.3 Receptor - Effector - Conductor ....................................................................................................................... 8
2.4 Feedback mechanism ..................................................................................................................................... 12
3. Examples of homeostasis .................................................................................................................................. 13
Learning goals
❑ LPD B1: The students demonstrate by means of examples that plants and animals survive through
interaction between the internal and external environment.
❑ LPD B2: The students demonstrate that plants and animals function as a system.
❑ LPD B3: The students illustrate that plants and animals maintain homeostasis.
❑ Specific:
o You know what homeostasis is and can explain it by means of an example and the pattern.
o You know the concepts of stimulus, receptor, conductor, effector and reaction and you can give
and recognize examples of these concepts.
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Biology 3-2h 2021-2022 A. Bossant & S. Gielen
1. LEVELS OF ORGANISATION
Before we can study an organism and its functioning, we must know that there are different levels of
organization that together make up the organism.
1.1 OVERVIEW OF THE LEVELS
1.2 ORGAN SYSTEMS
An organ system is built of multiple organs. Our body has 11 different organ
systems and plants have 5. Find out which ones.
Human body 6. Reproductive system Plants
Skin = integumentary system
1. Digestive system 7. Endocrine (hormonal) system 2. Root system
2. Respiratory system 8. Cardiovasculair system 3. Shoot system
3; Muscular system 9; Excretion system
4. Skeletal system 10. Skin = integumentary system
5. Nervous system 11.Lymphatic system (Immune
system is included here)
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All these organ systems work together to keep the organism alive. All the cells are in
contact with each other, (through blood or other media). Each change will affect the
cells, and thus the tissues, the organs…
For instance: when the amount of oxygen or salt in the blood increases, your tissues and
organs will react. Maybe your heart rate and blood pressure rises, you’ll start breathing
more quickly, you’ll feel more active. The organs do this to keep your body in balance.
This way, our bodies react to changes in the environment, to keep us safe and healthy.
Examples:
• You’re too hot → you start sweating, you turn red (blood vessels dilate)
• You’re dehydrated → you feel thirsty and tired, mouth feels dry, makes
you want to drink
• Sunflower gets too little sunlight → flowers moves towards the sun
This way all the organ systems work together to maintain stable internal conditions.
We call this …
HOMEOSTASIS (!!)
Sometimes (external influences, injuries or genetic abnormalities) the homeostatic processes can no longer work
properly. As a result, organs will no longer work optimally and organisms will become ill. If the internal conditions
deviate further and further away from the optimal condition, there may be a danger of dying.
Levels of organisation Organisatieniveaus
Organ system (orgaan) stelsel
Organ Orgaan
Tissue Weefsel (zakdoek)
Cell Cel
External influences Uitwendige invloeden
Homeostasis Homeostase
Ill Ziek
To deviate Afwijken
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2. HOMEOSTASIS
2.1 NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
On ecollege you can find the following image.
➔ eCollege > Hfdst 1: Algemene inleiding > Werking thermostaat.
Make the exercise and complete the image below with the correct steps.
decreases /zakt
cools down/ koelt af turns off,slaat af
too hot, Te
warm
Too cold / Te koud
warms up / Warmt op turns on
/Slaat aan
rises /stijgt
Would does negative reinforcement/ negative feedback mean? What does it have to do with homeostasis?
Negative feedback means you make the opposite of the stimulus happen: if it’s too hot, you make it colder,
if it’s too cold, you make it hotter. This way you restore balance, it is a kind of self-regulating system.
Homeostasis is maintaining the internal body, so it constantly uses this negative feedback system.
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Biology 3-2h 2021-2022 A. Bossant & S. Gielen
This system of negative feedback of the thermostat, is also active in bodies of organisms, to maintain the
homeostasis, to keep alls the internal conditions as balanced as possible.
2.2 STIMULUS EN REACTION
Stimulus (pl.: stimuli) Prikkel Practically all living creatures (organisms) respond
Reaction Reactie constantly to everything that happens around them.
Sometimes we do this consciously (we are aware of
To respond to /to react Reageren op
what we do, we choose to respond). On other
(Un)Consciously (On)Bewust moments we do this unconsciously: you can’t control it, this is called a
To perceive Waarnemen reflex.
Internal Inwendig
External Uitwendig
Chemical Chemisch
Physical Fysisch
The things we respond to are stimuli. A stimulus is a change in the environment that we
can detect, a certain type of information we can perceive.
A stimulus is an observable change, that leads to a reaction in an organism.
A reaction is an activity: something the organism does in response to the stimulus.
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Read the examples below. Underline/mark the stimulus in green and the reaction in blue.
o If someone scares you, your heart is going to beat faster. E P
o A hungry calf searches for her mother’s nipple to drink. I C
o The alarm call of the blackbird makes the others fly away. E P
o Sow bugs search for cold humid places to flee from the hot sun. E P
o When he watched the news he started crying. E P
2.2.1 INTERNAL OF EXTERNAL
Stimuli can be internal or external, depending on the place of the change
(inside or outside the body).
Write an ‘I’ with every internal stimulus and an ‘E’ with an External stimulus
(in the exercise above).
2.2.2 CHEMICAL OR P HYSICAL
Chemical stimuli Are substance that change in concentrations or shape (like oxygen, sugar or salt)
Physical stimuli Are changes that have to do with power and energy (like temperature, light, heat,
sound…)
On ecollege you’ll find an exercise about stimuli: Biologie 3 – 2u > Thema 1: Homeostase > Hfdst 1: Homeostase
algemeen > Soorten prikkels.
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2.2.3 SENSORY THRESHOLD
To detect a stimulus (to feel a certain sensation), the change must be strong enough.
We call this the sensory threshold: the weakest stimulus that an organism can detect.
We’ll illustrate this by means of a little research.
(Research) Question: Is the sensory threshold on different places on our hand equally high?
Hypothesis: No, the sensory threshold is not equally high on different places on our hand, it is more sensitive on
your fingertips.
Necessities:
- Blindfold - A hair
- A little piece of paper - A pen/sharpie
Methodology
1. With the sharpie or the pen, draw a dot on the subject’s fingertip, palm and wrist.
2. The subject is being blindfolded.
3. Choose the hair or a piece of paper. Gently touch one of the three dots, without telling.
4. The subject must say if and where he/she feels something.
5. If the subject feels something, put a ‘x’ in the table, of he/she doesn’t, put a ‘/’
6. Touch all the dots with both the hair and the piece of paper, always write down the results in the table.
You can repaet if you like.
7. Switch roles and repeat the experiment.
Results
Place / material hair paper hair paper
Person 1 Person 2
Fingertip X v x V
Palm of your hand X V V V
Wrist V V x V
Are there places on the hand more sensitive than others? YES: the the wrist and palm of your hands
seems to be more sensitive for some people
Do these places have a higher or lower sensory threshold? A lower threshold: the higher the sensitivity,
the lower the sensory threshold.
Work out a conclusion based on the research question.
Conclusion:
Appliance: Who has the biggest sensory threshold for smells, dogs or humans? Explain yourself.
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The stimulus is high enough, it is above the sensory The stimulus is not high enough: it is below the
threshold, sensory threshold
an impulse is make so no impulse is made
you will be able to detect the stimulus you will not be able to detect the stimulus.
If you have a HIGH Sensory threshold, your
sensitivity (NL: gevoeligheid) will be
LOW.
If you have a LOW Sensory threshold, your
sensitivity (NL: gevoeligheid) will be
HIGH .
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2.3 RECEPTOR - EFFECTOR - CONDUCTOR
We have 5 senses with which we detect stimuli. What are they called? Write them on the image below.
Also write down the 5 sense organs (=receptors) in brackets
Touch (skin)
Smell (Nose) Sight (eyes)
taste (tongue) Hearing (ears)
Each sense organ has specific cells called receptors or receptor cells, these cells are the cells in the sense organ
that actually recieve the stimulus.
Does the word receptor remind you of something? Write down two words you associate with receptor or its
function.
- sensor
- recevoir, receive = ontvangen ➔ with our receptors we receive information/stimuli
These receptors transform the stimulus in an other kind of signal: an electrical signal, named an impulse.
The impulses can be transported and processed inside the body. The organs that do so are
conductors.
Which organs are conductors?
brains nervous system hormonal system
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After the information is captured, transported and processed, a reaction can occur. Reactions are caused by
effectors.
glands (klieren) muscles (spieren)
Do you remember what the following words mean? Write down their definition.
1. Stimulus: an internal of external change, high enough for us to detect and to react on.
2. Receptor: Organ/sensor cell that detects a stimulus and transforms it into an impuls.
3. Conductor: Organ that transports and processes information (impulses)
4. Effector: Organ that makes a reaction happen
5. Reaction: an action following on a certain stimulus.
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Look at the following examples, and apply the theory you just learned: complete the table by giving the correct
stimulus, receptor, effector & reaction.
Stimulus Sound of the gun Box falling Cold
Receptor Ears Ears / eyes Skin
4. Skin muscles
1. Leg muscles 5. Muscles in
Effector Leg muscles 2. adrenals (make your veins
adrenalin) (contract)
3. eyes 6. Arm muscles
4. Shivering
1. Jump aside 5. Blauwe lippen
Reaction Start running
2. Scared 6. Pull on a
3. look at it sweater
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2.4 FEEDBACK MECHANISM
To let this thermostat system and the homeostasis in the body work, a feedback system is activated. Why is this
necessary? Look at this short amoeba sister movie and try to capture the 3 most important thoughts of this video
about homeostasis and the negative feedback loop. (for instance, why, how, with what?)
As you saw, homeostasis is maintained using negative feedback. the body tries to undo or minimize a certain
change in the body, to get back to an internal balance. Once the balance is reached, the effectors are ‘turned off’
again. Fill in the scheme below, illustrating a negative feedback loop.
Stimulus Receptor Conductor Effector Reaction
Negative feedback
Usually we notice little of these homeostatic processes. They are so obvious that we don't pay attention to them
in normal circumstances. But maintaining homeostasis is the foundation of our health. When homeostasis is
disturbed, this can lead to serious illness and diseases.
Which example was given in the video?
Diabetes: sugar sickness
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3. EXAMPLES OF HOMEOSTASIS
Find some examples of control systems for the maintenance of homeostasis yourself and make a diagram of this.
Use your note bundle for this.
Wist je dat…
zoogdieren met een vacht warmteverlies kunnen tegengaan door de haren op te richten als de haarspiertjes
samentrekken. Daardoor komt er een dikkere laag isolerende lucht rond de huid. Bij mensen zie je daar nog
een overblijfsel van als we kippenvel krijgen. Het heeft echter geen nuttig effect meer tegen warmteverlies,
omdat de mens niet meer beschikt over een vacht zoals zijn voorouders wel hadden. Het aandoen van kledij
heeft de functie van haren overgenomen.
VOC YOU!
Concept Translation Definition + example / practice
Homeostasis Homeostase
Feedback system /
negative feedback Feedbacksysteem
loop
Stimulus Prikkel
Receptor Receptor
Conductor Conductor
Effector Effector
Reaction Reactie
Levels of organisation Organisatieniveaus
Organ system (orgaan) stelsel
Organ Orgaan
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Biology 3-2h 2021-2022 A. Bossant & S. Gielen
Tissue Weefsel (zakdoek)
Cell Cel
External influences Uitwendige
invloeden
Ill Ziek
To deviate Afwijken
To respond to /to react Reageren op
(Un)Consciously (On)Bewust
To perceive Waarnemen
Internal Inwendig
External Uitwendig
Chemical Chemisch
Physical Fysisch
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Chapter 1: Homeostasis 15
